Japanese team supervisor Hideki Kuriyama invited Lars Nootbaar, a Japanese-American mixed-race player, to play, which aroused criticism from senior baseball players in Japan, but Kuriyama still insisted on his own opinion, and gave him the responsibility of center fielder and trailblazer, and finally received good results , Kuriyama also revealed the secret in an interview.
Hideki Kuriyama pointed out that the domestic middle and outfielders are getting older. “I was looking for Nutbar and Steven Kwan of the Guardians. I felt that two people would be very strong. I have thought about the views of Japanese fans. , “Suddenly there are players from the United States in the lineup, okay?”
Steven. Guan was unable to join because his parents were not Japanese, so Kuriyama approached Nutbal, “The moment I talked to him, I realized that he is a great person, and everyone should like him.”
Kuriyama explained why Nutbal was chosen as the first bat: “His hard-working Saburo’s playing attitude is very suitable as a pioneer. If he fails to achieve results, he will change it.”
Nutbal lived up to Kuriyama’s expectations, with a hit rate of 424% in this classic, and scored an important 1 point in the championship game. In addition, the celebratory gesture he created “turn pepper pot” became popular, and his own popularity has also increased significantly. IG fans have risen from less than 100,000 before the game to 930,000 now.
Speaking of Nutbal’s high popularity, Kuriyama Hideki said bluntly, “People who are not watching baseball also want to watch him play. I have been very moved during the game. Seeing him work so hard, I really want to cry. I miss everyone I feel the same way.”
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